To Fly On Wings
by Chikicha
Summary: To carry on with her life and the people surrounding her, Misty must learn the dangers of her mind and the fantasies of her heart.
1. Part 1

_**A year or two after our story ends...** _

_A woman tipped up her water bottle, letting icy cool water run down the back of her scratchy throat. Twisting the cap back on, she then raised her arm to wipe the sweat off her forehead as she looked around at her surroundings._

_"Hey, you! Hurry up over there!" A man called in a loud firm voice. "This is a real expedition we're on here, so there's no time to rest!" _

_"Yes sir!" The woman replied. As she started to run towards the others, she heard a loud crunch beneath her feet. Looking down, she saw a dirty piece of parchment right behind her right foot. "A piece of paper? Way out here?" The woman murmured to herself. Curious, she leaned down to pick it up. _

**'I cannot believe how content my heart feels after everything I've been through. To think that you can do one simple action to make it feel as if all your troubles have drifted away... it's just... amazing. When I'm all the way up here, and I feel the wind twisting, racing, and weaving through my hair, and when I feel the hot gleaming sun shine down onto my face, I feel free as the wind. I feel so... light. It's hard to explain. But all I know is this - if I ever feel like the world is going to end, if I ever feel like there's nobody out there that loves me anymore... all I have to do is soar through the skies.'**

_The woman continued staring at the words carefully written in cursive. How curious they were. But what could they mean?_

_The woman's wonders were interrupted by a sudden shout. "I can't believe this! Come over here!" A voice shouted over at her, filled with awe. Continuing to grasp the parchment in her sweaty hand, she quickly ran over to the others, her heart thudding in her chest._

_Before her, lie an Articuno. A _dead _Articuno._

_...In the middle of a rainforest?_

_**Part One**_

I slowly pressed my hand against the window pane, squinting out into the sun gleaming down on all of Pallet Town and the memories etched throughout it. I could feel my face rise into a warm smile as I let those memories sink into my mind and heart, recalling all the battles, arguments, agreements, and friendships the three of us had been through together over the years. Ash, Brock, and I... Ash, Brock, and Misty. Somehow, saying our three names together seemed to let me know that everything was going to be alright, that no matter how low we dropped, we would be able to pick ourselves back up and continue on. But nowadays, Ash's journey is pretty much over, and I wonder what would happen if we _did_ drop. Brock is back in Pewter City, and Ash and I are now eighteen, now adults, now depending on ourselves to make our own decisions.

At the static-filled sound of an audience's crowds growing louder coming behind me, I let myself sigh as I gently pulled away my ponytail holder, letting my orange tangled hair fall to my shoulders.

"Whoa! Did you see that, Misty?!" I heard Ash suddenly exclaim from behind me. I shut my eyes tightly for a moment, willing myself to keep my temper down, and then slowly opened them up so I could turn around to face Ash. There he was on the edge of his bed, lightly hugging Pikachu to his chest, eyes glued to the rapid flashing colors of the TV screen. He was on his knees, muscles tensed as if ready to spring into action if needed.

"No Ash, I didn't see it." I replied in one slow breath. I continued just standing there, refusing to let my eyes wander to the bright TV screen. Instead I crossed my arms at my waist and then took a step forward so I was placed between Ash and the TV, attempting to catch his attention. Before I had a chance to lean forward so I could glare into his chocolate-brown eyes, he sprung from the bed to a different position, continuing to watch in a trance. His Pikachu quickly hopped out of his arms with a small "Pika!", quickly crawling back onto the edge of the bed.

I let out a frustrated growl. "Ash, you're a pokemon master, and you're still watching battles on TV." I noted.

I watched as his face rose into that wild grin of his that I loved oh-so-much. "Yeah. So what?" He replied simply. We continued just standing there in silence, us both focusing on our own private thoughts. I jumped slightly at the sound of Ash's loud voice ringing out into the room. "Wow! Look at that Earthquake attack!"

My eyes quickly wandered to the TV. I couldn't help it. I watched as the ground beneath the two pokemon cracked and groaned as it quickly trembled into pieces. As a thin chunk of land shot up, the opponent pokemon let out a yelp as it got tossed into the air. At that moment I felt something pierce my heart, something that sent shivers racing down my spine, something I hadn't felt for awhile since Ash was always there next to me. I looked down at my hands at my waist, drifting into my own thoughts, wondering what this hidden emotion could be.

"Isn't Earthquake the coolest attack?" Ash breathed out in pure amazement.

_Fear...? The emotion was fear._

"No." I snapped at him. "It isn't, okay?"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Geeze, _somebody's_ in a bad mood." He teased.

I could feel my temper flaring up once again as I felt my fists tremble. "I am _not_ in a bad mood." I lied. Then, knowing that wouldn't convince him, I decided to give my reasons. "Do you know how many people have been killed during earthquakes around the globe? Thousands, Ash! _Thousands!_"

He waved his hands in front of himself, gesturing a surrender. "Okay, okay, I get the point. But it's just a pokemon attack, Mist."

_Calm down... just calm down... don't let your temper take control of you... breathe deeply and slowly... you've had way too many arguments with Ash before..._

"Pokemon! Pokemon! That's all I ever hear about! I thought that maybe after you became a pokemon master, you would focus more on everybody around you!" I heard a voice shout out in pure fury. It was only after a split second of a heartbeat that I realized it was my own voice that had been ringing out. Shocked at my own words, I buried my head in my hands, only to find my face streaming with tears. I had to get out of Ash's house. Now. I couldn't bear it any longer.

"Misty..." Ash said weakly. Ignoring him, I whirled around and walked towards the window, only to find my ponytail holder gone.

I quickly whirled around once again to face him, but I avoided his eyes. "Where's my ponytail holder?!" I spat.

"I-" But before he could finish, I was had already slammed shut his door behind me and was sprinting downstairs. One step from the floor, I took a deep shuddering breath and brushed my own tears from my face. I couldn't let Delia see me like this.

After a few more thudding heartbeats, I swiftly walked through the kitchen, towards the front door, spotting Delia. I halted to a stop in front of her. "Do you have any extra ponytail holders?" I asked, my eyes wandering to her thick mud-brown hair tied back.

"No, dear." Delia answered in a friendly voice. "But I do have an extra rubber band you could use."

I sighed, glaring at the ground. "That'll have to do." I replied, holding out my hand. Delia gently placed a small stretchy rubber band in it, and then turned around, continuing to wash the dishes. Placing the rubber band in my pocket, I quickly ran out the front door. I managed to drop my temper just low enough so I would have to slam the door on the way outside.

It was only after a few jogged steps did I nearly collapse to the side of a tree. I buried my head in my hands, letting everything that had just happened sink into my heart. It was only as I pulled my hair back into a side ponytail using the rubber band that Delia gave me did I realize tears were streaming down my face. How could this be happening to me? Why was I getting so emotional all of a sudden?

At the sound of a door opening, I quickly brushed away the stained tears on my cheeks and stared at the ground, and listened as the sound of crunching grass got closer and closer. I didn't need to look up to know that it was Ash.

When the crunching footsteps stopped, I listened to his fast, heavy breathing. Proof that he had been running before he had gotten outside. Well, if he had been in such a hurry to get to me, then why wasn't he saying anything? Why was he forcing me to be alone with my own emotional thoughts?! It was annoying!

"Misty." Ash said finally. His voice was full of worry, full of care. But I wouldn't let my heart soften. No, not yet.

I slowly raised my head to glare into his chocolate-brown eyes. "What?" I replied coldly.

More of that silence Ash had left me alone with before. Then he spoke, a strange emotion etched throughout his voice.

"I think I liked your hair better when it was down. You should wear it like that more often."

_What?!_

I looked at the smile that has arisen on his face. "Are you trying to apologize?" I asked suspiciously.

"It depends." Ash replied, his eyes then wandering to the ground. "This... this argument is about you and me, isn't it?"

_Yes... yes it is, Ash._ Not that I'd ever tell him that.

I felt a soft tear roll down my cheek. And then another. I was crying in front of Ash, and there was no stopping myself now.

Ash's smile then slowly rose into a wide grin. What was he grinning about during a situation like this? Can't he see I'm crying?!

"Don't you see these tears, Ash Ketchum?!" I shouted. Why had I called him by his full name? "Can't you see that they're not fake?! They're _real_!"

Ash didn't say anything.

"They're real..."

...I sank to my knees...

"They're the most real thing..."

...I buried my face in my hands...

"Please."

...I looked up into Ash's eyes, my vision becoming blurry from all the tears.

"I'm sorry." Ash said softly, continuing to gaze into my eyes. His voice was so soft, so careful, it sent shivers down my spine. "I really am sorry."

I stood back up, and then whirled around

And with one last glance over my shoulder, I left.


	2. Part 2

_**Part Two**_

I continued to trudge my way through crunching grass, letting my mind wander to what had just happened between Ash and I. I let out a sigh, stopping to sit down on a thick tree stump. _Calm down, Misty. Take deep breaths._ That was what I had told myself the whole time. Fortunately, I succeeded. Most of the anger that had been boiling up inside my heart had cooled down. Now I could sit down, relax, and ponder about what to do next.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft swishing sound, coming from somewhere behind me. Almost like... wings. Yes, the flapping of wings. That's what it was. I slowly turned my head around to glance behind me, listening as the swishing became louder. That's when a white blur flew out from the trees, aiming straight for my head. I let out a high-pitched scream and ducked, and the top of my head just barely got scratched as I felt cold air zoom above me. The blur then landed on the ground, and I recognized it as a Pidgey.

Muttering angrily under my breath, I stood up and brushed myself off. I then glared down at the Pidgey, who looked up at me with innocent eyes.

"Oi there!" A female's voice shouted from the direction the Pidgey had come. "Don't let that pokemon get away!" Surprised, I looked around, lost at what to do. What did she expect me to do, hold the thing to the ground with my bare hands?

Before I had time to respond, a woman about the age of twenty emerged from the trees, and quickly scooped up the Pidgey. She had long tangled white hair that reached down to her waist, and her jeans were covered in mud and grass stains. She sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Sorry about that." She told me, turning to look into my eyes.

"It's okay." I replied. "What... who...?"

The woman grinned. "Yeah. My name's Liza. I train bird pokemon." She scanned my appearance. "And apparently you train water pokemon, am I right?"

I blinked in surprise. Even though I used to be the Cerulean City gym leader, I wasn't that well known. "That's right. How'd you know?"

"Let's just say I have this strange talent of knowing what type of pokemon someone trains by just looking at them." Liza answered, winking. "Would you like to see the bird pokemon I train?"

"Sure." I replied, shrugging. After all, I had nothing better to do, and I still wasn't ready to see Ash again any time soon.

On the way there, Liza described what she did with her pokemon. "Sometimes I ride the bigger, more experienced ones, such as the Skarmorys and Swellows." She explained. "Its such a wonderful feeling to be soaring through the air."

"Wow..." I murmured softly. Soaring through the air, to a place where I could forget all my troubles. Including Ash. I knew that inside my heart, I would love that.

Once we arrived there, I couldn't help but to gawk. We were now in Viridian City, at Liza's house. Hundreds of bird pokemon of all shapes and sizes pecked at the ground, flapped their wings, and soared through the air.

"So? What do you think?" Liza asked, grinning.

"They're amazing." I breathed out. I stopped to softly stroke the feathers of a particularly large Pidgeot. "Does this one fly well?"

Liza nodded. "Yeah. But only alone. I've tried to ride it several times, but it won't let me." She explained, sighing.

I took a step back, continuing to gaze at all the bird pokemon. "Well, I have to go now. It was nice meeting you."

Liza smiled. "You too! Feel free to come back here at any time."

I returned the smile and waved, then starting walking away. Yes, maybe I would come back here one day. Just maybe.

* * *

Taking a moment to sit down on an old rusty bench, I sighed, gazing out into the sunset over Veridian City. Smears of warm colors were etched throughout the skies, melting into a low pink at the bottom of clouds. It was too late to go back to Pallet Town now. Though I was ready to talk to Ash again, it looked like I'd have to wait until morning.

"No." I told myself firmly. "You _have_ to talk to him. Now. Call him." Even though my mind was rejecting him, something in deep in my heart ached.

I trudged inside the nearest Pokemon Center, and wandered over to a pay phone. As I listened to the faint jingling of change in my jeans' pocket, I knew it was the only thing I had enough money to use to contact Ash at the moment. With a trembling finger, I took my time dialing his number. As I stood there, clutching the phone, listening to it ring, time seemed to stand still. What would Ash say? What would _I_ say?

The sound of a voice on the other end made me jump slightly. "Hello?" It was Delia.

"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum. It's me, Misty. Can I talk to Ash?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Of course!" Delia answered cheerfully. "Just let me get him."

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then the faint sound of Delia calling for Ash. The sound of footsteps got louder. And then, finally, there was the sound of Ash's voice.

"Hiya Mist! What's up?"

That was _not_ what I had expected him to say.

I could already feel the anger boiling up inside of me, but I ignored it. There was something I earned to tell him, something at the tip of my tongue that was begging to be let out.

"I... I..." My voice was cracking. It was only then did I realize what I wanted to tell him. _I love you._ Just those simple three words. But no. I couldn't let them escape. I had to keep them locked up inside of me. I couldn't let him know now.

"Yes?" Ash pushed. In my mind's eye, I could see him grinning on the other end of the line. I grasped the phone tighter.

"Just... nothing!" I then slammed the phone back into its place on the wall, and let out a big breath of air. I rested my forehead again the cold surface of the wall, and shut my eyes tight. I could already feel the stares of strangers wondering what my problem was.

After a few more deep breaths, I finally turned around and opened my eyes. Everyone who had been staring quickly looked away.

I'll admit it. I don't know what my problem is, either. Some would say that it's Ash.

But no. It's not him.

Its something else, and my mind and heart are still trying to figure out what it is.


	3. Part 3

_**Part Three**_

I wearily blinked open my tired eyes, and was met with the sight of the ugly, blank ceiling of the pokemon center hotel room. Blank, just like my mind. But as I slowly sat up and stretched my arms out, the foggy memories of yesterday began to seep back inside, and I then remembered why my heart had a sinking feeling. Of course. Today was the day I had to go back to Pallet Town, and talk to Ash face-to-face. I let out a groan. I had barely been able to do it on the phone yesterday. Even _that_ hadn't gone well.

But yet, as I placed my bare feet on the cold, hard floor, and walked over to the window to push away the shades, a sudden emotion struck my heart. Something that made a feeling of nervousness explode inside my stomach. Even when the sunlight of morning flooded the room, I couldn't feel any warmth. I wasn't sure what the emotion was. I knew I wasn't sick though. And I also knew this:

Something was wrong.

I couldn't ignore it. With each rapid thud of my heart, something seemed to whisper into my ear. A whisper of darkness, of something dreadful. "This is stupid." I said out loud to myself. "There's nothing wrong." And yet... there was. I quickly changed out of my pajamas, and into my regular clothes. _Hurry, hurry, hurry..._

I shoved open the door, and then slammed it shut behind me as I ran out into the hallways. I seemed to fly down the stairs to the main floor of the pokemon center, skipping as many steps as I could. I came to a sudden halt, gasping for air and bent over, staring at the ground, from all the effort. Once I finally managed to stand back up, my eyes wandered over to the large crowd of pokemon trainers gathered at the large screen TV in the corner of the room. My heart leapt to my throat.

"Excuse me, excuse me." I muttered, ignoring the angry cries of pushed trainers as I shoved my way through the crowd and to the front of the TV screen. Once I reached my destination, I took a deep shuddering breath, and allowed myself to finally look up at the flashing colors above me. I gasped.

From the top of a helicopter, Pallet Town, a mass wreckage of fallen buildings and trees, was viewed from a camera. The words "Pallet Town Struck By Earthquake" shined brightly on the screen, and seemed to burn a hole in my heart.

"Ash... Pikachu... Delia..." I whispered, horrified.

_Hurry, hurry, hurry..._

I quickly shoved my way back out of the crowd of pokemon trainers, and out of the pokemon center. As I hurried towards Pallet Town, all I could think of was the argument Ash and I had. It seemed like forever since it took place, but no. I knew it had only been yesterday. But that was far enough away that I could've apologized to him. I could've told him it was a silly argument to get mad about. I could've told him I love him.

_Could've, could've, could've... Hurry, hurry, hurry..._

As I continued towards Pallet Town, sweat dripping down my face, I was afraid to let any more thoughts drift into my mind at all.

* * *

Once I arrived at Pallet Town, I was blocked by the huge mass of people scurrying about. Police officers were busy keeping away visitors, while flashing ambulance trucks parked and large medical tents were set up. The ruins of Pallet Town were completely out of sight. But I only stood there staring for a moment. As I started shoving my way through the crowds, I felt a hand clasp around my left shoulder. I looked over my shoulder to see a tall female police officer glaring at me intently.

"Sorry miss, but we can't allow you to go any farther. We need to-"

I didn't let her finish. "My friends! I need to see them... I need to see if they're alright..." The words seemed to spill out of my mouth too quickly. It was only after I said it did I realize that I sounded panicked. "They... they have to be alright..." I whispered softly. My effort to sound confident had failed.

The police officer just stared into my eyes for a moment. Then she let out a heavy sigh. "What are their names?" She asked me.

"Ash and Delia Ketchum. And Ash's Pikachu." I answered weakly.

"Follow me." The police officer ordered firmly. She started guiding me deeper into the crowd of flashing lights, towards some of the medical tents, her hand still clasped around my left shoulder. I tried to shrug it off, but she wouldn't let me. As we neared one particularly large tent, my heart started thudding, and memories starting seeping into my mind.

_"Isn't Earthquake the coolest attack?"_

_"No. It isn't, okay?"_

Earthquake. Ash had been talking about the attack Earthquake. I let out a shuddering breath.

_"Do you know how many people have been killed by earthquakes around the globe? Thousands, Ash! Thousands!"_

"Thousands.." I whispered quietly, staring at the ground beneath my feet.

"We're here." The police officer told me, interrupting my thoughts. She finally took her hand off my shoulder as she slowly guided me into the tent.

After I ducked into the entrance, I scanned the room. There, right across from me, was Delia sitting on a chair. I felt my pace quicken as I hurried towards her. From what I could see, she didn't have any broken bones, and seemed to overall be in a fine condition. I let out a sigh of relief.

Delia looked up, surprised. "Oh, Misty!" She exclaimed. "Its you!"

"Yeah. Its me." I replied simply, smiling softly. Delia stood up and gave me a tight hug, destroying some of the worry that was swarming around in my heart. Once she sat back down, both of us were just left staring at each other, our own personal thoughts filling our minds. The silence seemed to be choking me. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

And that's when it happened. With a sudden shuddering sob, Delia broke down crying.

I just stood there for a moment in stunned silence. I had never before seen Delia cry. Even Ash, her own son, said he had never seen her cry. She was always such a cheerful person. _If there was only one single thing in the world that made you cry, what would it be?_ My heart took a sudden drop.

I sat down next to her. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright." I told her softly. Those were the only words of comfort I could offer.

But will it really be alright?

Even without speaking to her, I could tell she knew what I wanted to ask. And with each thud of my frantic heart, I was afraid to find out the answer. _Are Ash and Pikachu okay?_

Delia took a one long shuddering breath.

"They haven't found them yet."

My heart stopped. Ash and Pikachu... they might still be alive! And yet, I had to grit my teeth to keep the tears from escaping. I couldn't let Delia see the sadness filling me up. Not right now. Not when it was my job to comfort her. Of course. Knowing your own son has died will make you cry... but not knowing where your son is, or whether he's alive or not, could possibly be even worse. At least, it was even worse for me.

Confident. I had to be confident. "They will. Sooner or later, they will." I told her firmly. We both sat in silence for a moment. I changed the topic. "Are... are you okay?"

Delia sighed, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Yes. Just a couple scratches and bruises here and there." She answered. I nodded.

After I said goodbye and gave one final hug, I walked out of the ambulance tent and towards the nearest police officer.

They had to find Ash and Pikachu. They just _had_ to.

* * *

I leaned my head against the hard cold surface of the helicopter's front window, letting my breath create emerging fog. I had never been inside of a helicopter before. But I was focusing more on the horrid sight below me than on the helicopter itself, and its pilot. Below us were the ruins of what was once Pallet Town, an exact image of what I had once seen on the large screen TV in the Viridian City pokemon center just moments ago. As much as it pained my heart to look at all of the disaster, my eyes wildly scanned the area. The helicopter pilot had agreed to let me join the search party for Ash and Pikachu. But we had been hovering above Pallet Town for half an hour with no sign of them. And with each tick of the clock, my heart continued to sink lower and lower. My confidence was failing me... and it was failing Delia.

But that's when my eyes caught a sudden flash of yellow. "I think I saw something!" I exclaimed. I leaned forward and squinted. Sure enough, I could see a Pikachu far below us. I pointed.

Everything happened so quickly. All I could remember was watching Ash's Pikachu get quickly carried away towards the nearest ambulance truck. He hadn't even been conscious. The only images I could see etched in my mind were those of the scars and bruises covering the electric mouse's body. When they wouldn't let me enter the ambulance truck to check up on Pikachu, I turned around and started walking, only to find myself sinking to my knees. _"Mrs. Ketchum, they found your son's Pikachu, but we're not sure if he's going to live or not..."_ I choked down a sob. Every time I thought of Ash and his wild smiling face, I always thought of the fun memories he had shared with his Pikachu.

I scooted myself towards the nearest tree, and let my head rest against the thick brown bark. It would probably be awhile until they told me Pikachu's status. And until then, they weren't going to continue the search for Ash. I was left alone with my own thoughts and worries. If they did find Ash, and if he was alright... but if Pikachu didn't live... would he even care about me anymore?

_If?_ Why was I saying "if"? Oh. Of course. Because, so far, confidence had done nothing to help Delia and I so far.

"Misty Waterflower?" A male voice came from above me. Startled, I looked up.

"Yes?" I replied back. Glancing down at my watch, I only then noticed it had been and hour since Pikachu was first carried into the ambulance truck.

"Your friend's Pikachu..." He was silent for a moment. That's when I noticed the frown etched on his stressed face.

_No, it can't be..._

"He's going to be alright."

My heart was suddenly filled up with the sudden hidden emotion of joy, only to sink back down to my stomach.

_But...?_

"But I'm afraid he'll no longer be able to participate in any battles."

Of course. I let out a long shuddering breath. "Well, at least he's still alive." I whispered softly. I stood up. "May I see him?"

He nodded in reply and led me to one of the ambulance trucks. I followed at a slow pace, digging my feet into the ground. The flashing lights... all the voices around me... and then, there was Pikachu. The image of an unconscious Pikachu was still etched inside my mind. As I entered the ambulance truck, my heart leapt to my throat. There he was. One of his front legs was wrapped in a cast. Scratches and bruises were scattered all throughout his body. My eyes wandered over to a particularly large cut buried in the side of his body.

The man seemed to notice my worried glances. "I'm afraid that one will probably turn into a permanent scar." He told me gently.

I nodded absent-mindedly, letting my eyes continue to take in the sight before me. Pikachu was now conscious, but when I looked into his round black eyes, the wild sparkle I had always seen in them was now gone. Instead it was replaced with a sort of lifeless sadness. That's when the realization hit me that the poor thing probably realized he wouldn't be able to participate in any more battles, too.

And then there was Ash.

I cradled my head in my hands as I once again thought about the argument Ash and I had just a day ago. That argument was finally over. I had won. Ash had lost. And now he had to pay the price. But because he had to, so did I. So did Pikachu. So did Delia. Was this all completely my fault? How come I had to be the only one that wasn't physically damaged? _'Because you won.'_ A voice answered inside my head.

I took away my hands from my face, and instead placed one on Pikachu. I slowly started stroking the electric mouse, as I stared at the wall in front of me. After what seemed like hours, I looked over my shoulder at the man. "Ash..." I choked down a sob. I couldn't continue the sentence.

The man sighed. "I'm afraid it's to late. We'll have to take a break in our search for him. But if you'd like, Delia Ketchum offered to let you stay with her for the night. We have many tents set up, so you don't have to go all the way to Viridian City." He informed me.

"Okay." I replied. My voice sounded distant. "I guess that's what I'll do."

But as the hours passed, and I later found myself staring up at the ugly ceiling of a tent, I couldn't fall asleep. Instead, the same words kept echoing inside of my mind.

_What have I done?_


	4. Part 4

_**Part Four**_

I slowly opened my eyes, watching as the sun's rays seeped through small openings in the tent. Wait, a tent? A tent. Of course. The burning memories of yesterday began to wander back into the center of my mind. I groaned, trying to push them away, but failed. That's when I realized that no matter how long I waited, no matter how much I tried to fight against it, those dreadful memories would always be etched somewhere inside my mind.

Delia. Pikachu. _Ash._

At the sudden sound of footsteps, I quickly sat up. Walking in front of me was Delia. At the sight of me, she turned to face me and gave me a smile. But even though I could tell she was trying hard, her smile provided no warmth. It was lifeless. Depressed.

"Good afternoon." She greeted me softly.

"You too." I muttered. I stood up and rubbed my eyes. "Its already afternoon?"

"Yes." She answered. "You slept through the whole night and morning."

We then just continued to stand there, staring softly at each other. I let out a heavy sigh.

"I guess I shouldn't be avoiding the subject, should I? About yesterday?" I murmured. I looked away, not daring to stare into those sad eyes of her's.

"And neither should I." She replied.

The silence continued. I spoke up. "Ash..."

"The search is over now. They never found him."

I jerked my head to stare at her, horrified. No, it can't be. _Ash!_ "B-But..." I stuttered. "He could still be out there! They have to continue the search until they find him! He's still alive, I know it!" I found my voice growing louder and louder.

"Misty..." Delia opened her mouth to say more, but couldn't manage any words.

"No!" I shouted. And with that, I pushed open the tent flaps and started running towards the medical tent where Pikachu was being kept, without bothering to glance over my shoulder. I collapsed into the tent, my hands on my knees, staring at the ground while breathing heavily. I then raised my head to glare at the nearest person of authority. "Why have you quit the search for Ash?! You can't stop now! You have to keep searching!" I demanded loudly.

The man sighed. "Ma'am, we've been searching for him all night and morning. Except for his Pikachu that you found yesterday, there's been no sign of him at all. We searched everywhere."

"Everywhere, huh?" I muttered under my breath. "Obviously not."

The man leaned down so his face was directly in front of mine. He placed a firm hand on my shoulder. That's when I noticed that his eyes were full of sorrow and sympathy. "Ma'am, even if we did continue the search and found him, he'd already be dead." He told me softly.

I staggered backward, staring at him, horrified. That's when the tears started flowing. I collapsed in a fit of sobs, and then stood up and ran out of the tent.

_The argument was over. I won. Ash lost. And he was the one who had to pay the price._

* * *

"Misty."

The same male voice who had delivered the bad news pierced into my thoughts. I slowly raised my head to glare at him. There were still stained tears on my cheeks. Even though I could no longer cry, my heart was weighed with sadness.

"What?" I snapped.

"You need to answer the question." He replied calmly.

I blinked. The question? I couldn't even remember what it was. I looked down at the ground and sighed. "What question?"

The man sighed too, except his was filled with a hint of annoyance. "Nevermind. The point I was trying to make was that now that the Pikachu's original trainer has passed away, he needs a new trainer. Professor Oak doesn't have enough time because he's busy with research, and Delia Ketchum... well..."

"She doesn't want to keep Pikachu for the same reason I don't want to." I finished for him. Having Ash's closest pokemon with me all the time... I don't think I would be able to stand it. Not after the tragedy that just happened.

The man opened his mouth to snap back, but then appeared to think better of it. "No Misty, that's not the reason. You must let me finish. Because she is not a licensed pokemon trainer, as you already know, she doesn't have to keep the Pikachu if she doesn't want to. But you _are_ a licensed trainer, and you were Ash's closest friend according to his mother. That means you have the legal right to keep the Pikachu."

"A _right_?" I repeated. "I don't even have a _choice_." Besides, it seemed like he was making it all up, in an official-sounding way.

"Well, that's right, you don't." He admitted. "So is it agreed that you'll keep Ash Ketchum's Pikachu?"

"I guess so." I muttered.

I then watched as the man stood up to walk into the next room. A minute later, he came back holding a pokeball in his hand.

"Here he is." The man told me softly, setting the pokeball on the table. "Remember, because the Pikachu is in a bad physical condition, it is illegal to use him in battle."

I didn't even hear the man's words. Instead, I was focusing on the pokeball with wide eyes. "Pikachu... Pikachu's inside a pokeball." I stammered.

"Well, yes. All pokemon are supposed to be kept inside one. You know that." The man replied impatiently.

"But he doesn't like being inside pokeballs." I raised my head to stare at him. "Ever since the day he began his journey, Ash never once let him inside one..." I whispered softly.

The man sighed. "Yes well, because you are not the Pikachu's original trainer, we don't know what he may do if he's kept outside of a pokeball. Memories of his trainer's death may drive him berserk."

I frowned. _Memories of his trainer's death._ What about me? What about my memories of our past argument we had?

"Okay. Whatever." I replied. I still planned on letting Pikachu stay out of the pokeball, though. "I'm leaving this place." And with that I picked up the pokeball and trudged out of the tent.

Continuing to scowl, I collapsed to my knees at the side of the road, cradling my head in my hands. As I lifted my hands away, I stared down at them. They were sweaty and dirty. Small red scratches were scattered throughout the hardened skin. This was what my hands frequently looked like back in the days where Ash, Brock, and I would go traveling. But those hands were dirty with something that would send an excited adventurous feeling down my spine. A feeling that made me positive. Made me glad. But no, these hands were marked with the worried distress I had been under in the past couple of days. It didn't even feel like they belonged to me anymore. _And to think one day I'd be holding a pokeball with Ash's Pikachu inside it._

And yet, I felt like there was more of me, that was... well, wasn't me. I crawled over on my hands and knees to the nearest puddle of calm water, and gazed down at my reflection. Staring back at me was a depressed, lifeless girl with a mess of dirty matted orange hair tangled on her head, a cold frown, and bags under her tired eyes. Her eyes. They were the most horrible sight. An emotion of cold sorrow and pain flooded them, as if she were constantly crying, except without the tears. I gawked in horror. That was actually me. _Is this what I've now become?_ Yes, yes it was.

Taking a final deep shuddering breath, I stood up on shaky legs and tossed the pokeball into the air. In a flash of bright red light, Ash's Pikachu formed in front of me. The small electric mouse stared up at me with equally sad eyes.

"Come on, Pikachu." I told him. I gazed out once last time at the ruins of Pallet Town, somehow feeling that the whole thing was my own fault.

"I can't change the past, and I can't imagine the future being any better, but we have to try. Now let's go."

**

* * *

**

About two weeks later...

A small book covered in elegant red leather was gently placed on my legs, right in my line of eyesight. I slowly raised my head to glare into my counselor's eyes. "What's this?" I snapped. I reached down a hand to softly stroke Pikachu's head, refusing to let myself investigate the book.

"It's a blank diary." She explained, slightly pushing her small glasses a little farther up on her nose. "Until we meet again a week later, I want you to write at least two entries a day inside it. Write about everything you're feeling, seeing, and thinking. All the smallest details. Trust me, it's very important that you do this."

I picked up the book, and flipped through its thin pages. Sure enough, the whole thing was blank. I set it back down on my lap, and reached down a hand to stroke Pikachu's head again, when my eyes were distracted by my counselor's hand. Yet again, she was absent-mindedly twisting her thick black hair around her finger, staring intently at me, waiting for my reaction.

I was silent for a moment, annoyance pricking at me. Then I spoke. "Did you know twisting you hair around your finger is a sign of sexual frustration?" I asked, giving her my most innocent look. It was hard to conceal my smirk, though. _Now who exactly is the counselor here again?_

Her finger suddenly stopped the twisting motion as she immediately dropped her hand to her side. A deep frown was etched on her thin face. "Writing down your thoughts and feelings will help me - I mean, us - try to understand what's wrong with you." She continued, choosing to ignore my previous comment.

"Sure, whatever. Can I go already?" I asked her, standing up to leave. She nodded, her piercing eyes never leaving mine. Continuing to grip the book in my hand, I trudged out of the small room, Pikachu quickly following behind me. Thank goodness I was finally out of that place.

Dear Diary,

I'm surprised at how easily I can actually express my thoughts and feelings in here. And yet, those thoughts and feelings aren't easy themselves. I am constantly feeling the weight of depression, and I know Pikachu is too, but I guess this is only supposed to be about me, isn't it? Well, tomorrow I plan to visit a certain place. When I first left that place awhile ago, not only did I have no idea of the tragedies that would happen in the future, but I also had a feeling I'd be coming there again sometime. This is that sometime. Why am I doing this? I have no idea. But maybe things will get better and lighten up. Just maybe.


	5. Part 5

_**Part Five**_

As I trudged up yet another hill on the path to Viridian City, a familiar feeling came over me. I couldn't quite place what it was, though. The sky above me was a brilliant bright blue, and small clouds slowly drifted towards the gleaming sun. To gaze at it all, I had to shield my eyes with my hand. As my heart fluttered with the sudden feeling of strong excitement, I sank to into the grass on my knees, Pikachu pausing beside me.

"I haven't felt like this in a long time." I explained to him. The weight of depression sinking my heart was already starting to get lighter. Slowly but surely, my heart was starting to lift.

I stood back up and started to descend the grassy hill. At the sight of Liza's place emerging in the distance, I felt the sudden urge to run, but resisted it. Letting my eyes drop down to my hands, I then noticed that they were trembling. Trembling with excitement, though? Or fear? Sighing, I took out my diary from my pocket and sank down into the grass once more.

**Dear Diary,**

**I can't believe it. Somewhere hidden, deep down through all that sadness and depression, I've still managed to find excitement. As I found myself coming closer and closer to my destination, Liza's place, I started wondering why this excitement felt so familiar. After all that had happened with Ash, (It really hurts to write that name...) I didn't think I'd be feeling this emotion any time soon. But now I've realized where it came from. Back during the days where Ash, Brock, and I would travel together, I felt this emotion of excitement all the time. That's because it's the excitement of pure freedom.**

During that argument I had with Ash, all that anger was stored up in my mind, not my heart. Because of this, I've learned to trust my heart more than my mind. My mind worried about the earthquakes. So that happened. And now my heart is begging for the fantasy of freedom. I'll achieve that goal. Yes, it's a goal, not a fantasy. And Pikachu will be here with me the whole time. This future experience needs to be shared with someone real, not just a diary.

Continuing my way towards Liza's place, I was surprised at how quickly I reached my destination. Just like last time, various types of bird pokemon stared out at me from her yard with innocent eyes. I just stood there, digging my feet into the ground, suddenly unsure of what to do. Liza was nowhere in sight.

"Hey!" A familiar cheerful voice called out. I watched as Liza emerged from the front door. "I remember you!" She quickly ran towards me.

I smiled softly, surprised at how happy I was to see her. "Hey." I replied simply.

Pausing to stand in front of me, I watched as her eyes scanned my appearance. Finished, she frowned. I began to feel nervous then, hoping she wouldn't suspect the sadness weighing me down. "Would you like to come inside for a drink of lemonade or something?" Liza offered. "You look thirsty."

I look _thirsty?_ I knew a different word was at the tip of her tongue, be she had managed not to say it. I wished I had that type of control over my words, too. "Sure." I replied, continuing to smile softly. It almost hurt my mouth.

As we both stepped inside her house, I took a good look around. Though a bit messy, her house had a warm, cozy feeling to it that made my heart flutter even more. I slumped down into a seat at her table, watching as she rushed off to the refrigerator to retrieve refreshments.

"So what brings you here?" Liza asked me casually. She then glanced over my shoulder at Pikachu. "And why are you keeping your Pikachu out of its pokeball?"

This time my smile was grim. "He's not my Pikachu. Well, he wasn't originally." I chose to ignore the original question for now, not even sure of the answer myself.

"Oh." She replied simply, her voice soft. I could tell from the emotions swirling in her bright eyes that she knew not to go any farther with the subject. "Well...?"

Ah. The original question. "I'm not really sure, to be honest with you. But... do you know if I could ride one of your bird pokemon?" I asked, placing my elbows on the table's top. _I can't believe I'm actually doing this._

Liza gawked at me for a moment, and then spoke. "Well, sure, I do it all the time, but... have you ever ridden a pokemon in the air before?" She asked me, her face growing serious.

"No." I admitted.

"Then it might be sort of dangerous for somebody like you." She replied, sighing. "It might not be a good idea."

During that moment, I almost considered the possibility of giving up, but no. I wouldn't. I had to achieve my heart's fantasy, no, my heart's goal. "I don't care how dangerous it might be. I need to do this." I pressed. I then opened my eyes wide, letting the memories of the argument I had with Ash seep into my mind. _...Dangerous..._ Was I setting up my own death by simply following my heart? Shaking my head, I ignored these worries, and looked up at Liza to see what her reaction was.

Her eyes were weary, but she nodded. "Okay. I understand." She stood up, scooting back her chair. "Do you want to look at my pokemon right now?"

"Sure." I replied. But then something came over me, and I had the sudden urge to take my hair out of its side ponytail. I wanted to feel freedom. I wanted my hair to hang by my shoulders. "But first I need to let my hair down."

As I reached towards my hair, I saw her gaze at it. She frowned. "You tie your hair up using a rubber band?" She asked.

Ever since I had burrowed the rubber band from Delia, days before the earthquake, I hadn't even taken my hair out of its messy side ponytail to even sleep. "Well, just this once. I don't usually." I explained. But as I tugged on my hair, I then realized why she sounded troubled. The rubber band just plain wouldn't come out. Frustration pumped through my blood. "Oh great... now what?"

"I'll go get some scissors." She told me quickly, and ran off to a different room to retrieve them. Continuing to tug on the rubber band, I knew that it wasn't because of my hair that I was suddenly feeling the hot emotion of frustration. When Delia handed me the rubber band, over two weeks ago, she was completely unknowing of the argument Ash and I had just moments before. Would things have gone different if I had told her what happened? Would I have been able to prevent a disaster from occurring?

My frustration showed as I frantically used the scissors Liza handed me to quickly cut the rubber band out. Glancing down at the floor, I saw small strands of my orange hair scattered on the ground. Through my frustration, I also managed to accidentally cut some of my tangled hair. "Oh well." I muttered. Liza cast a worried glance at me, but it quickly disappeared as we both walked outside towards her yard.

Liza led me through the crunching grass, towards a Skarmory and Swellow that were absent-mindedly pecking at the ground for food. When Liza smiled warmly as she pat both on the head, I knew that this was where she truly belonged. This was where her heart would always feel content. It was here, with bird pokemon, where she belonged.

But my thoughts were interrupted as she spoke to me. "I find that the best flyers are these two right here." She informed me. "I ride them pretty often."

I nodded, letting myself gaze out at the rest of the bird pokemon. A particularly huge Pidgeot caught my eye. That's when I realized it was the same Pidgeot I had asked about when I first visited. "Does that one still not let you fly on it?" I asked, pointing in the Pidgeot's direction.

Liza let out a defeated sigh. "I'm afraid so." She answered. "But she has grown a ton since you last visited, hasn't she?" Catching my alerted glance, she added, "Yes, even though she's huge, she's a girl Pidgeot." and winked at me.

I nodded once again, but walked over towards the Pidgeot and brushed a hand over her feathers, which were surprisingly smooth and soft. "That's too bad." I murmured.

"You two seem to get along well, though." Liza observed. "The first time I tried to pet her, she nipped at me." Stretching her arms out, she turned towards her house. "I'll be right back, okay? Don't try to ride Skarmory or Swellow without me." And with that she walked away, her long white hair swishing at her waist.

After making sure Liza was inside, I slowly climbed onto the Pidgeot's back. She gave a small cry of protest, but otherwise didn't budge. I gestured for Pikachu to stay in the yard, and then leaned down so I was gazing directly into the Pidgeot's wild eyes.

"I know you don't like flying with people on your back and all, but... just do this for me." I whispered soothingly. "Please." Begging. I was actually begging to a pokemon. If I weren't so desperate, I would've laughed at myself. But for some reason, when I stared in this Pidgeot's eyes, I didn't get the same type of look I got from the Skarmory and Swellow. This look was filled with swirling emotions. Swirling emotions that were almost... human-like. Somehow, I felt that if I were to ride a bird pokemon through the skies, this was the one I had to ride.

The Pidgeot gave a loud squawk, and then started rapidly flapping her wings, sending feathers flying into the air. Gasping in air, I quickly held on to the mass of feathers in front of me that was placed on Pidgeot's back as we took off into the bright blue skies. As rapid blowing wind tugged on my body and sent my tangled hair flapping at the side of my face, I shut my eyes tight and clenched harder onto Pidgeot's feathers, my knuckles turning white. My whole body swelled up with sudden fear.

_No... don't let fear take over your body. This is freedom, not fear. You've achieving your heart's goal. Now open your eyes and live the moment!_ A voice shouted inside of my head. Slowly but surely, I opened my eyes. Glancing around me, all I saw was a mix of brilliant blue, bright sunlight shining into my eyes, and blurs of white that I knew were clouds. _Look down._ I told myself. _You have to look down._

Taking a deep shuddering breath, I let myself look down. All breath seemed to be knocked out of my lungs as I gazed out at the large hills beyond with wide eyes. From up here, everything looked so small, and yet so... vast. The rolling hills seemed to go on forever, and buildings were just small specks, like tiny ants. The sun seemed brighter than ever before, and the wind swirling around my body didn't seem so deadly anymore.

Now _this_ was pure freedom.

Letting my grip relax, I slowly lifted my hands up from Pidgeot's back, raising them higher into the air, not sure what I was doing. Letting all my fear dissolve, I let my arms be blown back by my side in a large sweeping motion, and stretched out my fingers as my palms faced upwards. Now all that was holding me onto Pidgeot was my legs at her side, tightly gripping myself onto her back. Lifting my face into the sun, I softly closed my eyes, and let a large smile emerge on my face. And then I laughed. I laughed with the pure joy of achieving my heart's goal for freedom. This was where I belonged. If I ever wanted to escape my troubles, all I had to do was lift to the skies on wings.

**Dear Diary,**

**I cannot believe how content my heart feels after everything I've been through. To think that you can do one simple action to make it feel as if all your troubles have drifted away... it's just... amazing. When I'm all the way up here, and I feel the wind twisting, racing, and weaving through my hair, and when I feel the hot gleaming sun shine down onto my face, I feel free as the wind. I feel so... light. It's hard to explain. But all I know is this - if I ever feel like the world is going to end, if I ever feel like there's nobody out there that loves me anymore... all I have to do is soar through the skies.**

Upon reaching the ground in Liza's yard once again, the first sight I was met with was Liza herself, staring up at me with both worried, relieved, confused, and angry eyes. "I... you...?!" She stuttered, unsure of how to begin.

"Sorry about that." I told her, climbing over the Pidgeot and back onto firm ground. I stumbled for a minute, a bit dizzy, but then regained my balance quickly. "I just... had this urge, you know?"

She gawked at me, and then managed to find words. "I told you not to ride one of them until I got back!" She spat, letting her anger out first before her other emotions.

"You told me not to ride your Skarmory or Swellow before you got back, not your Pidgeot." I replied calmly. In spite of myself, I grinned. Pikachu hopped up onto my left shoulder and nuzzled my cheek, obviously aware of my sudden strange happiness.

Even though I could tell she tried not to, a smile emerged on her face. "Okay, okay, you win that one. But tell me... how did you get Pidgeot to let you ride her?"

I shrugged. "I don't know." I lied. "I guess you're right - we just happen to get along well for some reason."

We just there for a moment, gazing at each other in silence.

Finally, Liza spoke. "So... how did it go?" She asked softly.

I grinned my largest grin yet. Even I couldn't believe it myself. All of the depression weighing down my heart just moments ago had vanished. "It was amazing." I replied. And with that, I ripped out my most recent journal entry that had the description of the flight, and walked into her house without waiting for her permission.

"Wait, what are you doing?" She asked, running after me.

"This." I answered simply. Placing the ripped-out diary entry in my pocket, I then threw the rest of the diary into her fireplace.

As I watched its pages fade into a charred black and curl together as it was engulfed in red licking flames, I felt a sudden determination. The past argument I had with Ash and the dangerous troubles and depression that had been swirling through my mind were now gone, and it would stay that way. I wouldn't let myself turn to the past again. Everything was fine now. Ash was out of my life forever. Everything would be okay.

Oh how terribly wrong I was in thinking that.


	6. Part 6

_**Part Six**_

I slowly lowered myself to let my head rest on the pillow placed in front of me, and rolled onto my back so I could gaze out of the window in front of me. Smiling softly, I absent-mindedly tossed a pokeball up and down in my hand. I could feel Pikachu's stare. I glanced over my left shoulder. Sure enough, there he was, staring intently back and forth between me and the pokeball.

I grinned. "Don't worry. This is Pidgeot's pokeball, remember?" I reminded the small electric mouse. And with that, I glanced back at the large open window in front of me, sunlight streaming down on the bed covers, and let my mind wander to my most recent memories.

_I blinked in surprise at Liza's sudden suggestion. "You seriously want me to keep your Pidgeot?" I asked her, glancing outside the kitchen window at her bird pokemon absent-mindedly pecking the ground for food._

_"Yeah." She replied patiently. I watched as she rested her head in her hands and stared down at the ground. "Pidgeot... she's one of my favorites, so it's really hard for me to do this." She told me, sighing. "But I know it would be better for both you and her."_

_This pricked up my curiosity. "Better for both of us? How?" I asked._

_Her eyes lifted from the floor to my own. "You haven't even realized it yourself?" She asked me. Without waiting for me to answer, she continued, "When you first came here today, before you rode Pidgeot, I noticed there was something different about you compared to the last time you visited. I knew there was something troubling you last time, but I didn't know what. But this time... this time the change was drastic. There was no spark in your eyes like I saw last time." She smiled sadly. "But after you came back from that ride on Pidgeot, I saw it again. You were happy."_

_I returned the smile. "I guess I can't hide anything from you, can I?" I replied. Indeed, I had already realized it myself. I had only wanted to know how she had realized it._

_"So will you take Pidgeot?"_

_"Yes."_

I laughed softly to myself at the memories. How right she was about the changes I had gone through during that flight through the skies. Now here I was, back in Cerulean City where I belonged, continuing on with the rest of my life. Still resting in my pocket was the single ripped-out journal entry I had kept, and my hair still remained down. Only yesterday had I remembered to call my counselor, informing her that I wasn't going to visit anymore.

I stopped tossing the pokeball, and instead sat up, stretching my arms out. Pikachu hurried over towards the door, gazing up at me with bright eyes. I smiled at him and stood up as I placed the pokeball in my bag. "It really has been awhile since I've battled, hasn't it?" I told him. It was only then that I remembered Pikachu wasn't in any physical condition to battle, and probably wouldn't even battle for the rest of his life. My smile quickly faded away. "Come on, let's take a walk outside to stretch our legs." I quickly suggested, not daring to look into those round eyes to see what emotions he was feeling.

Our slow walk together outside seemed peaceful enough. Sunlight streamed down onto the back of our necks, and morning dew sparkled in the friendly light. But as we approached a wide open field filled with acres of wheat, gently blowing in the breeze, the sky became darker as rain clouds blotted out the sun. A sharp tingling sensation ran down through my spine and to my arms and legs, all the way down to my toes. I glanced down at Pikachu, worried. He glanced back up at me, a hidden emotion sparking in his eyes. Then the small electric mouse began to tug at my bag strapped over my shoulder as he yipped up at me.

I blinked in confusion. "What? What is it? What do you want?" I asked him. I jumped in surprise as Pikachu gave one final tug, and an empty pokeball came rolling out and onto the firm ground below. I rapidly looked back and forth between the pokeball and Pikachu's sad eyes. "No..." I gasped.

Was it possible that the small electric mouse wanted to be held inside a pokeball for the first time in years? My awed thoughts were interrupted for a quick moment as a stronger tingling sensation once again raced down my spine. Thunder boomed overhead, and through the corner of my eye I could see a small flash of lightning off in the distance. The blowing wheat rustled loudly. A troubled feeling came over me.

"Um... okay. If you're sure." I whispered softly. And with that, I tossed the empty pokeball up into the air, and watched as Pikachu dissolved into the ball as a flash of red light appeared in the air in front of us. The pokeball closed back up with a small click, and fell back into the open palm of my hand. I just stood there for a moment, staring intently at the pokeball, just waiting for the moment when it would start raining.

"Misty."

A familiar voice sounded through the air. Startled, I whirled around and gasped at the sight of a boy with a mop of jet-black hair on his head, his chocolate brown eyes staring into mine. _Ash?!_ I wasn't sure what action to do first. My legs were frozen in their straight position, and my breath seemed to stop quick as my heart missed a beat. _No, you're supposed to be dead..._ But... they never found his body, did they?

"Ash...?" I replied weakly in barely a whisper. The frozen feeling in my legs began to slowly melt away, as I slowly but surely felt my feet begin to step forward. I broke into a run, and collapsed into his arms, sobbing. As he held me in his arms, as I felt his skin, I knew he was real. He was alive.

_...Don't ever leave me again..._

"Misty." Ash repeated. This time he smiled warmly. But as I looked up, I could tell he was troubled by something. "I was looking for you."

I stood up straight, wiping my tears from my blurry eyes. "What... what happened to you?!" I asked him. I was longing to ask him so many things... to tell him so many things... to show him so many things... to let him ride on Pidgeot... "Does Delia know you're alive yet?"

"Yes, she knows." He answered softly. "As for me... I... I escaped. Alive. It was the thought of you that kept me going. And it was the thought of how terribly wrong I had been before. You know, during our past argument at my house."

I stared at the ground. _I won, Ash lost. And he had to pay the price._ But not for long. I looked back into his eyes. "Ash, I don't care about that argument anymore. I really don't. I..."

Ash interrupted me as he put his finger to my lips. "I wanted to give you something back, too." He told me. I then watched, curious, as he reached into his pocket and brought something back out. As he stretched his hand out for me to take it, it was only then could I see what it really was.

My lost ponytail holder from back when I was at his house.

When I just stood there in shock, unmoving, refusing to take it, he moved behind me and began to weave my orange hair through his fingers, tying it up into a side ponytail himself. Finished, he moved back to his original position, and continued to smile warmly at me.

"I stole it when you weren't looking, just as a joke. I'm sorry." He apologized. His smile quickly faded into a frown, though. "Misty, there's something I wanted to talk about with you."

"What is it?" I whispered softly. I shuddered as another tingling sensation ran down my spine. Thunder continued to roar overhead.

My breaths came out slow as he held my hands in his. "I think I was meant to die in that earthquake. I only narrowly escaped." He told me softly. The worry and care in his voice scared me.

"But you didn't." I replied. "And that's all that matters to me."

"Yeah, but..." He sighed as his eyes drifted to the ground. "I know this sounds weird, but... I'm afraid that since I didn't die, you will instead. You'll take my place. It's either one or the other. Do you understand me?"

I shook my head rapidly, even though I _did_ understand. I didn't want to understand, and yet... I did.

"Misty, I think some of the thoughts and arguments going on inside my head are... dangerous. And that was proved from the earthquake. I had to pay for my mistakes. But since I never did, I'm afraid you'll have to instead."

I continued to shake my head no, refusing to let these words register in my mind. "What are you trying to say?" I finally managed to let out.

"Misty," Ash drew me in closer as his voice grew into a whisper. "I'm afraid for you."

I drew back as wet tears once again started to roll down my cheeks. It was all just too much for me. I didn't want Ash to be afraid of anything, even it was for me. I just wanted to follow my heart, and let my life return back to normal. And now... this. Was it because I loved Ash that it pained me to stand near him now?

Erupting into sobs, I whirled around and started to run away, towards the middle of the wheat field. The tingling sensation was growing stronger now, and I could hear Ash's frantic shouts in the distance behind me. My legs wouldn't stop, and my arms were swinging by my side as my side ponytail flopped on my head. Raising my arms so they wouldn't become scratched by the towering wheat, I just continued on running. Running away from what, though?

_..."Misty, I'm afraid for you."..._

The tingling sensation grew into a huge explosion of feelings pulsing throughout my body as a giant blinding flash of white light filled the area. I didn't even have time to let out a scream as the white turned into blackness.

* * *

I woke to the sight of a bright white ceiling, and voices. Many voices. Blinking wearily, I slowly sat up. My whole body was in pain, but otherwise felt fine. Scanning my surroundings, I saw that I was in a hospital bed.

_...A bright blinding flash of white light..._

I gawked and tossed the clean white sheets off of my body, staring at myself. Nothing on the outside appeared damaged. To the left on a small desk were my bag and a small picture frame. Leaning in closer to get a good look, I saw that the picture was of Ash and I from two years ago. I smiled warmly, letting the memories of the times we had together back them slowly drift into my mind. In the picture, we were both grinning and flashing peace signs at the photographer, which was most likely Brock. Pikachu was perched atop Ash's shoulders, a look of pure happiness on his face. ..._Ash!_

"Ash!" I shouted, suddenly remembering the past events of what happened before the flash of light. My eyes were open wide with shock and worry. Hearing my shout, a doctor quickly came running into the room, followed by two others.

"You're awake!" One of the doctors exclaimed. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I guess." I replied unenthusiastically, glancing around the room. "But... where's Ash?"

"Oh, you mean the boy who brought you in?" The same doctor replied. "He already left." Their eyes grew sad. "He said he was too afraid you were going to die. We all were. He said that when you did... he didn't want to be there to watch."

_..."I'm afraid that since I didn't die, you will instead. You'll take my place. It's either one or the other."..._

"What... what happened to me, then?" I whispered, horrified.

A different doctor sighed. "Misty Waterflower, you were struck by lightning."

I gawked at him. "Struck by lightning?! But how..."

He raised a single shoe that he held in his hand. Looking closer, I saw that it was one of my shoes. There was a small hole in the bottom of shoe, charred black and burnt. "We're not sure, but this is the only sign that it even happened. You're extremely lucky, miss. Very few have ever survived a lightning strike." He glanced down at my confused and shocked face. "Yes, your shoes were on your feet."

I let out a deep, shuddering breath. But my thoughts were more focused on Ash than on myself. I once again glanced at the picture frame placed on the desk. "I never had the chance to give him back his Pikachu..." I whispered softly.

I'm afraid for you now, Ash. I'm afraid for you.


	7. Part 7

_**Part Seven**_

"_...Pokemon Master Ash Ketchum has become the first person to ever explore the thick rainforest area in the far west, overseas, where he is now searching for rare pokemon..._"

My eyes glared out at the large flat-screen TV placed on the wall inside the Pokemon Center. It was the Cerulean one, not the Viridian one, and yet I still had a shuddering feeling inside that all these places ever brought me was misery.

_...All I ever wanted was for you to never leave me again, and you left..._

Sitting atop my shoulders was Ash's Pikachu, once again outside his pokeball. He was staring ahead at the TV screen with such determination, it made me remember the many days he spent battling. It seemed like such a long time ago and yet... I knew it wasn't. "Pikachu, I want to find him. I _need_ to find him." I murmured softly. I needed to be with him, to assure him that I was alive, and to protect him. I knew that I was supposed to die in that lightning strike, just like how Ash had a feeling he was supposed to die in the earthquake. His turn was coming up again. Would us being together make any difference?

I weaved my fingers through my messy side-ponytail. I stopped at the touch of my ponytail holder - the one Ash had returned to me. "He returned one of my belongings. Now I have to return his." I told myself, glancing to the side at Pikachu. How long could this go on?

I stepped outside the Pokemon Center and into the brisk morning air. As I stretched out my arms, I could feel the gleaming sun's rays heating the back of my neck. A sense of familiar excitement swelled up inside my heart as I knew what I had to do next. But as my fingers twitched with something nervous, I reached into my pocket to take out the single diary entry. _To soar through the skies..._ Flipping the thin piece of paper around so it's blank side showed, I took out a small pencil and began to write my final entry.

**Dear Diary,**

**I can't believe I'm writing this even though nobody's making me do it. I guess now that I've achieved my heart's freedom, there are still some things I will be continuing to go through with. But this is my last entry anyways. I can promise you that.**

**But wait... no. My heart hasn't achieved freedom yet. Now that I've found out that Ash is still alive, I feel locked up again, forced to take certain actions. My next action will be to find him, to protect him. He's exploring the thick rainforests out towards the west, overseas, where no pokemon trainer has been to before.**

**So... I guess this is goodbye.**

Placing the folded entry back into my pocket, I tossed a pokeball up into the air, and watched as Pidgeot appeared in a flash of bright red light. Rapidly flapping her feathered wings, her eyes pierced into mine, almost as if she were staring into my soul.

Carefully climbing onto her back, just as I did before, I bent low so my face was close to the Pidgeot's. "I need you to fly me somewhere really far away." I whispered softly. "Do you have the strength to do it? With both mine and Pikachu's weight?"

She paused for a moment, and then nodded. As I felt the touch of Pikachu quickly climbing into my lap, I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath as I gripped Pidgeot's back feathers tightly. I knew that this time, the flight wouldn't provide me with as much freedom as I wanted. I was flying to the rainforest out west, and nowhere else. Until I found Ash, I would continue to feel locked up inside.

The Pidgeot took a few running steps before soaring up into the skies, the wind pushing me backwards, daring me to fall. My eyes flashed open as I was met with the sight of fluffy clouds scattered throughout the bright blue sky, sunlight streaming down onto our faces. But I still hadn't let that breath out. _'Breathe.'_ I told myself silently. _'Just breathe.'_ And so I did. As I let that single breath out, all of my once-tense muscles seemed to relax, and so did Pikachu's. For a small moment when happiness swelled up inside my heart, I forgot where I was even going. But then the reason quickly came back to me. _Ash._ I couldn't let myself become distracted again. I had to focus.

And yet...

"Sometimes..." I said softly. "...I wonder if it would be better to just... let go."

My words were completely unheard from others' ears as the blowing wind gracefully carried them off my lips and into the distance.

* * *

I never had a chance to find Ash. Of course I didn't.

_...The sound of my Pidgeot's cry as the Fearow's claws dug through her skin..._

I had forgotten that out here, I wasn't alone in the skies. There were others here with me. Another reason I couldn't achieve freedom until I found Ash.

_"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" I yelled. ...But then I remembered that Pikachu could no longer use any attacks, let alone battle._

I felt so helpless. I couldn't stand it. Its not that I was afraid of dying... I knew I wouldn't. I was still Ash's turn. Then again, maybe it would've been better if I had died. Then Ash would be safe.

_We were spiraling down towards the earth below. The skies surrounding us were now just blurs of colors. I could hear a shrill scream piercing the air. It took me a moment to realize I was the one screaming._

Was fate trying to play some sort of sick game with me? But then, I had an idea. What if I lost on purpose? Then Ash would win, no matter what. This was only a two player game, after all.

_I used one hand to tightly cling to Pidgeot's back, and the other to keep Pikachu from flying out from underneath me. I then tightly shut my eyes as I braced myself for the impact. It came... then blackness._

* * *

I gazed out into the valleys beyond, ignoring the piercing pain running up and down my leg. I had already gawked in horror at the deep bleeding cut that ran up the left side, and I didn't need to see it again. Pikachu was sitting at my side. I had long since returned Pidgeot, the most injured of all of us, to her pokeball to rest. The pokeball itself was carefully held between Pikachu's two small furry paws.

I looked down at the vast, wide open area below me. Never before had I stood on the edge of a cliff as high as this one. The wind weaved through my hair, pushed against my body, urging me on. I reached back to pull at my ponytail holder, letting my hair fall down so it lay limp by my scratched shoulders. Staring down at the small object in my hands, I took out a small pen.

"I wish I had been able to tell you this before, Ash." I barely said above a whisper to myself. Holding the ponytail holder up close, I struggled to use the pen to write on it. But eventually I managed to scribble to words "_I love you, Ash._". Afterwards I set the pen back in my pocket, and carefully slid the ponytail holder onto Pikachu's left ear. "Pikachu... please try to find him." I pleaded. "I know he'll still be alive when you do."

I took a deep shuddering breath, and continued to gaze out beyond the cliff. Was I afraid? I couldn't tell. The only thing I knew at that moment was that there wasn't much time left before something dangerous could happen to Ash again. Because I couldn't find him, this was my way of protecting him. My thoughts were interrupted as I spotted a bright red hot air balloon slowly floating my way. I could barely make out the figure of a man standing in it, but the only features I could make out were his shaggy brown hair.

"Hey, you!" The man shouted in my direction. "Miss! What are you doing?!" Worry and alarm sparked in his voice.

I ignored the voice, and instead focused only on what I had to do. I couldn't help myself from starting to feel angry towards the man, though. Alone. I wanted to do this alone.

Taking one last deep shuddering breath, I pushed off the ground with my feet, and leapt off the edge of the cliff, my arms flailing by my side.

_"No!"_

I felt myself immediately stop in motion as two vines lashed out from the direction of the hot air balloon, wrapping their selves around my waist. Gazing towards their direction, I saw that they were connected to a Bayleef that had been released from its pokeball. The man ordered the Bayleef to pull me in closer. I soon felt myself being released from their grip, and dropping onto the surface of the cart the hot air balloon was carrying.

"Are you okay?!" The man asked me quickly, firmly gripping my shoulders in his hands. Up close, I could see that he was my age, if not a year or two older. He was breathing heavily.

I couldn't take it any longer. "No!" I shouted in reply. "Why did you stop me?!" _It might be too late for Ash!_ And with that, I struggled out of his grasp, and lunged for the edge of the cart. Using quick reflexes, the man quickly grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me in closer so I couldn't move towards the ledge. I erupted into sobs. "Stop it! Let me go!" I begged, struggling to beat him away with my fists, but failing miserably.

"Please, just calm down, just calm down..." He urged me, continuing to hold me in place.

Our words were suddenly interrupted as we gazed out at the cliff just in time to see Pikachu take a flying leap off the edge. This time it was _me_ that was shouting for somebody's sake. For Pikachu's sake. _No! What are you doing?!_

Just as quickly as the pokemon had done for me, the man's Bayleef once again lashed out two thick green vines, quickly pulling Pikachu in. "That was close..." The man let out a breath, now gripping both me and Pikachu. "What's going on here?"

I remained silent as I stopped struggling for a moment, gazing down at Pikachu. I then gazed up into the man's eyes, which were a deep green. _You saved him..._ My heart seemed to stop.

His voice interrupted my thoughts. "Wait... what's wrong with your Pikachu now?" He asked me, confused. Sure enough, Pikachu's body was limp, his eyes closed. His breathing was in slow, yet short, gasps.

Worry exploded through my heart. "Quickly! We need to get him to a Pokemon Center!" I shouted, beginning to feel the falling tears again as they rolled down my cheeks. The man nodded in agreement, his face growing serious. But before he yanked down on the lever to ignite the hot air balloon's flame, he gave one final glance in my direction. I did my best to give him a look that said I wasn't going to try to leap again.

As the balloon began to move, I sank to my knees and buried my head in my hands. What had I done?

* * *

I was sitting in the passenger seat of the man's car, gazing out the side window with tired eyes, carefully holding Pikachu's limp body in my hands. Both of us had been silent the whole trip so far. I had long since stopped crying, but my cheeks were still stained with dried tears. Just minutes ago the realization hit me that Pidgeot's pokeball had been left on the cliff of the valleys. But I was feeling too miserable about everything that had happened to pay too much attention to this realization.

I spoke, shattering the deathly silence. "So... are you going to force me to go to a counselor?" I asked quietly, refusing to let myself glance in his direction.

The silence continued as he didn't reply, focusing on the road, letting my words sink in. Then, he spoke. "No." He answered simply, sighing.

We left it at that as a Pokemon Center finally emerged in the distance. I felt my heart leap as I felt Pikachu's heartbeat suddenly come to a stop. I drew in a shaky breath and gawked at the small electric mouse, wondering, waiting for another heartbeat. But it never came. The man glanced in my direction, noticing my startled look.

"I... I think Pikachu died." I told him barely above a whisper, my heart thudding in my chest.

His eyes grew sorrow as he just nodded in sad agreement. And yet, his eyes were also filled with confusion. "But why...?"

Yes, why? I let past memories quickly flow through my mind.

_"Misty, I've told you many times what great friends I am with Pikachu, right?" Ash asked me, grinning widely._

_"'Many' doesn't even start to describe it." I replied, rolling my eyes. We sat in silence for a few more moments._

_"Yeah... but it's more than that." He continued, a bit more quietly this time. "It's hard to explain, but... somehow, I feel that Pikachu and I are connected."_

_"Connected? Like how?" I asked him, confused. Never before had Ash ever said anything like this._

_"I'm not really sure..." Ash's voice drifted off as the conversation came to an end._

I stumbled out of the man's car as I quickly sprinted towards the Pokemon Center. Pikachu was now being carried in the man's arms. The small electric mouse was now gone forever, and I accepted that. It was the large flat screen TV I was searching for this time. Behind me I could hear the man's echoing footsteps as he followed close behind.

I came to a sudden halt, staring at the screen in horror. _No, it can't be..._ But it was. It had happened. I was too late.

_"...Pokemon Master Ash Ketchum, dead..."_

I sank to my knees, shuddering violently as I buried my head in my hands, letting the sobs escape from my heart. _No, no, NO!_ But it was true. I knew it was. I had won, Ash had lost, and he was the one who had to pay the price. That decision couldn't be changed.


	8. Part 8

**_Part Eight_**

I gazed down solemnly at the two open coffins that lay down before me, the shadows of tree branches gracefully swaying in the wind on the lush grass below. Warm sunlight danced across my face as I heard soft chimes echo somewhere in the distance. Everything was strangely peaceful. Chris, I learned his name was, my rescuer, was the only one who seemed to share these feelings with me. He hadn't known Pikachu very well, and hadn't known Ash at all, yet I still felt like he deserved to go to their funeral.

During the speeches and the goodbyes spoken before the burial I was standing at now, everything seemed to go by as a blur. I had too many tears to let out any words. Not sobs, just silent tears. What would I have said, anyways? That both Ash and Pikachu dying was completely my fault? That I possibly could've saved them? Sure, that would've made Ash's other friends and family really happy. Yeah, right. But as Chris put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and whispered into my ear softly, "He loved you.", I felt strangely calm. The first difference I noticed was the lack of wetness rolling down my cheeks. As I touched a hand softly to my face, I could feel no real tears, only the dried stains of past ones.

But that was an hour ago. Now there were only mere minutes left until the funeral would be officially over. The crowd of friends and family seemed to leak out into small numbers as workers began to walk near us, ready to shut the two coffins and place them inside the earth. Wishing to remain at that peaceful spot for an eternity, I continuing gazing into Ash's lifeless face. The faint lone expression that remained there was one of such peaceful calmness, I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Maybe I would've, until the realization hit me. _'He loved you.'_ How would Chris know?

I glanced up into his deep green eyes. Him, Delia, and I were the only ones left at the graveyard. "Did you know Ash personally?" I asked, curious.

"No, I didn't." He answered.

My expression grew confused. "Then how would you have known what he thought of me?"

I paused without waiting for his answer as my eyes wandered down to the sight of Pikachu. Something about him looked slightly different. It took a split second for me to figure out what. My eyes grew wide.

"My ponytail holder! Where did it...?"

Chris's eyes grew sad as he took my ponytail holder out from his pocket and held it out to me in his open palm. "Would you like it back? Or do you want to give it to Ash or Pikachu?" He asked me. His voice was the most soft, calm, and careful I had ever heard it before. The inked words _'I love you, Ash.'_ I had written just days before stood out on the thick fabric in the sunlight. My heart thud quickly deep in my chest as I slowly took the ponytail holder in my hand.

"I'll give it to Ash." I whispered softly, holding back the tears as my eyes quickly swept to the ground. I couldn't bear to look into Chris's caring eyes any longer. He had no idea, and yet it seemed like he knew everything.

"Hey, c'mon, you two!" One of the workers interrupted us in a loud voice. "We have to start working. The funeral's over." As Chris and I glanced over our shoulders at the exit, sure enough, Delia was there, beckoning us over.

I quickly ran over to Ash's coffin and placed the ponytail holder inside his hand, closing it up around it with my own hands. "I'm sorry I never got a chance to tell you personally." I said softly. "Goodbye, Ash Ketchum."

And with that, I took one last look into Pikachu's and Ash's faces before whirling around and running to catch up with Chris and Delia.

_It's over. It's all over._

* * *

Leaning back on my chair, I crossed one leg over the other as I quietly sipped some punch from a straw. I glanced up at Chris, whom was sitting in front of me. Waiting for him to speak, I fingered the small glass of juice gently. But still nothing came. Both of us had remained unusually quiet on this peaceful day.

Ever since the funeral, Chris and I had gotten to know each other better. He introduced me to a new, adventurous world. Though he owned a couple pokemon, I eventually found out that he was Pokemon Hunter - a new sport that had evolved over the years. At first I was horrified to learn this.

"It's not all that bad, pokemon hunting." Chris had tried to convince me gently. "Over the century, the population of certain pokemon has been increasing rapidly. When it comes to the ones on the lowest end of the food chain, they've been ruining farmer's crops. You've seen how high the prices were raising before pokemon hunting was introduced."

I had no argument for that one.

"The pokemon on the higher end of the food chain have always been fairly uncommon or rare, so we never had to worry about those, but the ones high enough to eat the lowest ones on the food chain have been rapidly over-populating too." Chris went on. "If there are too many of them, there will be too small of a number of the lowest ones on the food chain. Some might possibly go extinct. That's something we really don't want to happen."

I spoke this time. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that." I admitted. "What about the ones that aren't over-populating, though? Wouldn't that be just shameless killing?"

"It's illegal to hunt certain pokemon." Replied Chris. "Especially legendaries. Not that we ever see them anyways."

"I still think it's horrible to kill pokemon, though..." I whispered solemnly. "I mean, they're just like you and me. I was against pokemon hunting from the start."

This time it was Chris's turn not to have any words left. After a moment of silence, he sighed. "Yeah... I do feel a little bad about it. But I don't know, Misty. Now that Ash, our former Pokemon Master has passed away, some pokemon trainers might not be as encouraged to catch pokemon anymore..."

_'...Now that Ash, our former Pokemon Master, has passed away...'_

I buried my head in my hands. "No. Stop." My voice was a sad begging whisper. "Please... just... please don't mention him."

"I'm sorry." Chris murmured softly.

That was all just fifteen minutes ago. As I let my memories lurk back to the words about Ash, I let my mind wander back to the moments that happened at his funeral two weeks before. Chris knew I had loved Ash. He said Ash had loved me. How...?

I finally shattered the deathly silence. "How would you have known that... Ash... might've loved me?" I asked. It still hurt to say his name. "All you knew was that I loved him."

This time Chris smiled warmly. "Because, knowing you... if you loved somebody, how in the world could they help not loving you back?"

He's so good.

I felt my face grow hot. But it was also a tickling, happy feeling in my heart. "Thanks." I replied simply in a small voice.

His smile grew into a grin. "Now what was that just then, Misty? What's with the quiet? I've only known you for two weeks, but I've never known you to be shy!" As I looked into his deep green eyes, I saw that he was excited and wild inside. His adventurous side was showing again. Maybe that was the main reason he was a Pokemon Hunter... because he got to travel to so many places. I could easily imagine him doing that and loving it.

"Thanks!" I repeated, much louder this time. I returned the grin.

My heart leapt as Chris suddenly jumped out of his chair across from me, grabbed me by the wrist, and forcefully pulled me towards the doors leading away from the restaurant. "Come on, I'm taking you outside." He told me.

I laughed as he dragged me along with him. "What?! Why?"

He didn't answer, just shoved me out the swinging doors first, and then quickly followed behind. I breathed in cool, fresh, nighttime air as I gazed around at the twinkling stars above me. Not for long, though. Chris once again grabbed me, this time by the hand, and pulled me towards a large, beautiful, shallow pool of water with a large fountain spurting out streams of water. Rainbow lights from the bottom floor of the fountain glittered gracefully on the wavy water's surface. Chris and I collapsed at the side of the fountain, breathing heavily, but at the same time giddy with laughter.

"There. We're here." Chris managed to speak. He stood up and brushed himself up. Chris then offered a hand, and I took it in mine. Surprisingly quick, he pulled me back up to my feet.

"What was that all about?!" I asked him, taking a break from laughing, but still grinning widely.

"I'm not really sure. I guess I just wanted to show you this fountain. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah..." I sighed softly in agreement. We both continued admiring the fountain for a few more moments until Chris spoke again.

"You know, even though I've only known you for two weeks, it feels like I've known you for seven years." He told me, smiling softly, as he held my hands in his.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked him.

"That... we should take off our shoes and go into the fountain?"

Maybe he was just joking, I don't know. I guess I'll never know. All I know was that without hardly even realizing it, I kicked off my shoes, and climbed over and into the fountain, spinning around with my arms flailing by my side. Chris was quickly by my side. I didn't care how crazy other people probably thought of us at that moment. All I cared about was how free being near Chris made me feel. The memories of Ash, our past argument, and his past funeral still continued to burn a mark through my mind, yet somehow that mark was no longer deeply affecting me. I raised my head up and let out all the happiness that was inside my heart, begging to be let out, in one long explosion of laughter. I was laughing at the stars. I was laughing at the moon. I was laughing at the world. I was letting them all know how amazing this new feeling bubbling inside of me felt.

Eventually losing my balance, I collapsed into Chris's arms. I smiled warmly, remembering his past words. "You know how you told me you don't know how someone could help not loving me if I loved them?" I asked softly.

"Yeah? What about it?" His face grew closer to mine. Now that I look back on these moments, sometimes I feel that he knew what was coming all along.

"You better live up to those words."

"Why?"

"Because I love you." I whispered into his ear gently. My heart was tickled with happiness from finally letting those words out.

Chris grinned. "Okay. I will."

And as he spoke those final words, any space left between us disappeared as he pulled me in closer and our lips touched, a mixture of cold and warm mixed into one, a dream into reality.


End file.
